Notes / Commercial Description:
As with any good epic, herein lies the promise of larger-than-life experiences, heroics, and twists and turns as the adventure unfolds. This bottle conditioned ale is chapter five, and is specifically designed to be aged until sometime after December 12th, 2012. Provided you can wait that long. At that time, enjoy it in a "vertical" tasting along with its ten Stone Vertical Epic Ale brethren. Each on unique to its year of release. Each with its own "twist & turn" in the plot line. Each one release one year, one month and one day from the previous year’s edition.

In this year’s edition, you’ll notice a deep, rich aroma of toasty malts, anise, Belgian yeast spiciness, and a hint of cedar. The toasty, dark and roasty malt flavors combine with a soft palate - courtesy of specialty dark wheat and barley malts. The body is fairly light for a beer with such a high gravity. There is a pleasant, lingering bitterness, so you know it’s part of the Stone family. This ale was brewed with a specialty Belgian yeast that we’re really liking here at Stone...it’s the same one we used for brewing the Stone 03.03.03 Vertical Epic Ale. And as with the Stone 05.05.05 Vertical Epic Ale, all the spicy, deep, and wonderfully funky aromas and flavor characteristics in this beer come as a result of nothing more than malt, hops, water and yeast!

Reviews by Ieatlambfries:

I purchased a few bottles at Joe Canals in Lawrenceville NJ. This one was shared with my brother and another one has been put away until 2012.

The appearance was a hazy dark reddish brown. It poured with a three finger high tan head full of dense fine bubbles. The head dissipated rather quickly leaving absolutely no lace.

The smell was a stand out. Upfront notes of crisp tart apple. Reminiscent of Granny Smith's. Also sweet smelling malts and a warm spiciness. Similar to mulled cider.

The taste was dominated by tart apple cider notes upfront. Followed by a sweet malts and dried fruits, roasted espresso and cocoa powder. This led into the mulled cider spices, cloves and licorice. Finishing with a slight hop bitterness. I felt the alcohol was hidden pretty well. I didn't get that "hot" taste from it.

The mouthfeel was a bit of a let down. IMO not enough carbonation. Very smooth as stated in previous reviews, but to me it felt a bit flat.

Drinkability was good. Again, I didn't really detect the alcohol. That paired with the smooth texture and complexities of flavour made this a drinkable brew.

All in all I thought it was a good beer. A bit young at this point, yet still had a complex flavour. I can only see it getting better as time goes by. I'm looking forward to reviewing it again in 2012 when I do a vertical tasting of whatever "vintages" I have collected by that time.

More User Reviews:

Poured into a goblet a deep deep brown with a slight ruby tint when held up to the light a well formed beige head atop,so many things going on in the nose notes of vanilla,raisin,brown sugar,and some phenolc spiciness thrown in.A little sharpness hots the mouth it seems to mellow after awhile but still is a little rough around the edges in my mind in the mouthfeel department,complex flavors here dark fruit and vanilla with some brown sugar and almondy notes with quite a phenolic spice kick wich I dont really care for much keeping it from being off the charts for me.A great night cap sipper quite complex and brash just what I expect from Stone.

Ta: Reminds me of a higher strength saison than a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. Saison-like fruitiness but with more alcohol warmth in the finish. Belgian yeast character dominant with little, if any, hop bitterness I'm used to from other Stone offerings.

Mo: Medium bodied & slightly rich. Carbonation is higher than appearance would lead you to believe. Leaves mouth crisp.

Dr: Medium drinkability. Due to its strength, this leads to a bit of caution. Deceiving....

Comments: This was an enjoyable departure from the hoppy beasts I have become used to from Stone. This being my first Vertical Epic tasting, it was a nice departure for Stone. If I had realized these were meant for a bit of aging, I probably wouldn't have sampled so soon. Time could smooth out some of the rougher alcohol edges...

Somehow I never got around to reviewing this before now, let's see how it is holding up 3 years and 5 months since its release. Pours into my glass a deep dark brown with a small khaki head on top. Aromas of dark fruit and spice with roasted malt underneath. Quite a bit of yeast esters in there as well. Hints of plum and clove. A touch of oxidation is creeping in as well.

First sip brings dark roasted malts mixed with dark fruits. Licorice, chocolate and caramel mix in as it flows down with a nice kick of spicy, estery Belgian yeast. A bit woody on the finish as well with a touch of bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden. Pretty darn tasty still.

Mouthfeel is smooth and medium bodied with good steady carbonation. Overall, a tasty brew that has held up well at this stage in my opinion. I'm not sure how this will be tasting by 12.12.12 but I intend to let my other bottles chill in the cellar to find out!

T&M- Amazingly smooth with an ample crispness in a full body. Suggestions of cocoa powder, coffee, anise, clove, walnuts, thyme with a rounded maltiness. Maltiness is a tad sugary ... brown sugar to be exact which becomes sandwiched by a bitter hop and a slightly hot alcohol.

D- Pretty damn tasty, great to try but I think some time in the bottle will prove it to be a better beer.

Pours into a goblet a clear, but dark, ruby mahogany body with a small beige head that quickly drops to a film. Some spotty lacing initially that totally disappears midway through the first pour.

Aroma is dominated by spicy anise and clove. Some burnt brown sugar and wheat malt notes are present, along with a solid dark fruit component that is mostly dried figs. Some fusel alcohol notes detract.

Mouthfeel is light medium bodied with some medicinal alcohol. Carbonation is subdued.

Taste is dominated by the spicy anise, with a spicy clove presence being equally annoying. Alcohol presence is fusel and medicinal. Some bitter hops give a nice cedar presence. Dark fruits are present, mostly figs. Some bitter, dark roasty malt notes emerge as it reaches room temperature. Overall, seems rough around the edges.

I'm not generally a fan of American brewed Belgian dark ales, and this one is no exception. Hopefully, this one will improve with age. As it is, my least favorite of the Vertical Epic series.

Large, typical Stone bottle, pours dark, ruddy brown, fine dark tan head, robust figgy, raisin, dark chocolate nose. Leaving scattered lacing and pleanty of intricate sheeting. Bold and flavorful, full bodied, complex heady brew. Notes of more smokey dark chocolate, raisins, sweet malts. This is ungodly smooth and long lasting on the taste buds. This is yet another spot on, home run for Stone. I'll try to age a few of these but it wont be easy, cuz this is drinking so well right now. World class and Stone all the way.

Dark brown color with a light tan head atop of it, lacing was lacking. Smell was a bit light, bready, and even a bit smoky. Taste is smoky as well, was more like a rauchbier to me. I won't detract just because it isn't necessarily Belgian Styled, because Belgian style is hard to define as it is. I will however, detract from the fact that I just don't like it. Medium bodied with high carbonation. I'm glad I shared the bottle and didn't pick up two of them, won't be buying this again.

Very creamy mouthfeel,lot of sweet stickyness,cloying,tongue swelling dryness.
Couldn't drink a lot of this beer,a definate sipper here,tastes better as it warms,wish I could have savored this one a bit longer. This seems like a beer that would only get better with age.

Dark brown with a small light brown cap. Moderate amount of visible carbonation. Irregular spots and and oily sheen left down the glass.

Very close to zero aroma. This one was passed around the table and hardly one person could smell a thing. If I tried my hardest, I could perhaps pull out a touch of dark fruit, but at that point, my imagination could be playing tricks on me. It's not an offensive aroma, obviously, but it isn't pleasant at all. Well below average, obviously.

Faint, simple, dulled flavors, which isn't surprising after the aroma. There's some mild biscuit and yeast, perhaps a touch of dark fruits, but this has faded into almost nothing.

Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

At least it's a very drinkable 8.66% ABV! Lame. Such a stupid series of beers.

The Stone V.E.A. 06 edition pours a very dark brown color, with ruby undertones. The head is rather, and sadly, short lasting. The smell is pleasantly thick, with malt and fruits coming through. The taste is good but raw, being strong on malty sweetness. Aging should pull the flavors together to something more coherent. The mouthfeel is nice and rather smooth, with only a mild alcohol burn on the back of the throat. A nice beer to search out and enjoy. Be sure to buy at least two and cellar one of them.

A. Poured into my VE glass this brew pours the darkest of the VEs so far, mahogany brown.
s. The aroma contains notes of cinnamon and figs with some brown sugar.
T. The flavor has hints of chocolate and coffee and dark maulty goodness.
Mf. Mouthfeel is a little thin, but smooth.
Overall not a bad beer, not as good as 05.

Appears a dark cola definitely brown in nature although could border a black tone on the color spectrum tan head forms and leaves fine specks of lacing scattered around my chalice. Aroma has anise upfront just like my Italian grandma's cookies dark powdered cocoa and full herbal grassy notes some what of a woody toasty nut finish interesting. Flavor contains chocolate richness some doughy bread and coffee notes raisins tart apples alcohol finish with more of that signature anise black licorice note. Mouthfeel is creamy soothing alcohol burn medium body soft carbonation glides on palate. Drinkability is definitely intriguing and challenging to the senses some age would do this well as it was designed for it, I'm sure I'll have at least a few more bottles.

Shared bottle in Atlanta.
This has held up surprisingly well. Carbonation indicates the seal was good. Very smooth and nicely balanced. Good complexity, especially in the aroma.
Dark red brown body with exceptional clarity.

This beer pours a brown so dark, it is almost black. The head is light brown. It looks thick and fluffy. It fades slowly, leaving many thick laces.

This beer has a strong bready aroma. It is also quite yeasty. It smells of cloves, and other spices. Grains of Paradise and coriander, and orange peal. This beer also has a plesent mild citrus hop aroma. A slight lemony aroma is present.

This beer has a lot of different flavors. It is taking me a little while to sort them all out. I taste some spices up front. As with the aroma, cloves, and coriander. It has a slight bubblegum flavor. It has an earthy yeast flavor to it as well. Citrus hop flavors are also detectable.

This beer is very smooth. It leaves a bubblegum like aftertaste. This beer is well carbonated.

I think, despite the slightly high alcohol content, that this beer might make a good session beer. It tastes very good, and the flavor is mild enough to not get cloying. I am anxious to see what a few years will do to this one.

A - Wow this is one dark Belgian that I would say is on the verge of black. It might actually be a very dark plum but I would say that on the whole it is essentially black. There is no light at all getting through this badboy and it has a clean and reflective appearance to it. A small head sits on top throughout and it is only about a 1/4 of a finger in size.

S - smell is a mixture of sweet and tart. I get a smell of black cherry, clove, and pink bubblegum as well. There also seems to be a hint of orange and lemon as well.

T - this is at first rather wheaty and has a certain Belgian yeast. Has a characteristic dark Belgian taste as it has the usual characteristics of a hefe as it is loaded with bubblegum and clove. These really seem to dominate the flavor in this one. There is also a tart cherry taste to it but you can barely notice it as a citrus orange seems to come in and really dominate the flavor profile especially on the back end Within that cherry flavor there is also a of plum as well. There is also a strong hint of black licorice anise as well that gives this one a strong after feeling. Seems to also have a light chocolate note to it as well near the front of it.

MF - The mouth feel reminds me a bit of a weizenbock. At first it has a lot of carbonation that really just attacks the tongue. After that fades away the beer calms down just a bit but not too much. Never really becomes creamy or smooth either as throughout it there is a strong burning and tingly feeling that sits and the mouth and really carries on even way after the beer is gone in the mouth.

D - Overall this is an okay beer as well. I don't really care for having some of the bigger wheat aspects mixed in with the dark Belgian beer. Also the carbonation seems to be a bit much for me as I don't care for how the tingling feeling just cares on forever.This is a nice beer worth trying and it will be interesting to see how this holds up until 12.12.12. The beer did a nice job of hiding the alcohol though which is good.

(Served in a tulip glass)
Drank on 3/31/13
A- This beer has a jet black body with a faint light of dark brown glowing at the base of the glass. There is a sticky light beige head that is made mostly of bubbles

S- The abbey yeast ester character blends with a roasted black malt aroma which turns into a brewer’s licorice and coffee quality in the finish.

T- The mellow licorice flavor blends with a nougat and abbey yeast taste with some prune and tootsie roll flavor underneath. There is a salty sweaty taste in the finish that lead to a bitter toffee and slightly inky flavor. The aftertaste has a slight smoky bitterness that lingers.

M- The medium mouthfeel has a slight slippery texture and no real alcohol heat.

O- The off flavors and smoky note don’t blend to well with the licorice but the soft yeasty profile is nice but buried a bit.

Drank 7/17/2006
(Served in an American pint glass)

A- This beer has a dark black body with a thick spongy head of light tan foam. No sign of bubbles in that dense body.

S- This beer has a nice perfume sweet aroma with a yeasty brown sugar hint that is very nice.

T- The taste of sweet bubblegum is followed by a sweet dark toasted malt flavor with some nice caramel notes. The finish is a big bitter hop flavor that is a surprising punch at the end of this beer. There is not a lot of complexity in the malt flavors the but the bubblegum flavor has nice subtle complexities of perfume, yeast, and faint white sugar.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel with a very soft carbonation fizz that keeps the finish light and adds more punch to the hops. No alcohol heat in the finish.

D-The smooth malty flavors have nice Abby ale qualities but the big hop punch in the finish really seems out of place. The fading trend of fusion fare offers many dishes that clash while a few of them are really nice. This fusion beer is one of those that clashes, however when I try this beer in 2013 I think it will be very tasty.

A- a very beautiful beer, dark burgandy almost black with a big tan head that left lots of lacing on the glass with each sip

S- some sweet notes with some malt a good smell but not to overwelming

T- strong and bitter, not a great taste with some chocolate sweet undertones

M- sticks in your mouth and is a bit on the thick side spot on as far as I am concerned

D- not an every day drinker by any scence of the imagination and not wonderful tasting like a big heavy sipping beer.

Notes- the best way I can sum up this beer is that it is too raw. It has potential but needs some definate aging to balance out the flavors. This may beer an exceptional beer in the future, but for right now the favors have not melded together. Give it a few years of aging.